5 Ways to Break the Worry Habit and Reduce Your Anxiety

Anxiety can have a number of causes, such as genes, upbringing, trauma, lifestyle, and mental habits.

 The mental habit of worry can play a very big part in keeping anxiety going, regardless of the cause of your anxiety. 

Instead of letting you constructively “hope for the best but plan for the worst,” worry pointlessly repeats its fearful thoughts over and over again. 

Worry paints a picture of worst case, catastrophic scenarios that may or may not happen. In fact, they are usually not very likely to happen. 

Worry fans the flames of anxiety with misguided interpretations of whatever situation you are struggling with.

The catastrophic images of your worried thoughts cause you to react to the situation at hand as if it were the one you were imagining.

 Your body reacts to these images with the physical symptoms of anxiety. 

The good news is that worry is a habit that can be broken. Like other habits, it will take conscious, repeated efforts to do so. 

How to Break the Worry Habit

 You will need strategies to support you in your effort. You will need to use the strategies over and over again. 

There are many ways to break the worry habit. Here are 5 strategies you could try.  They are based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). 

CBT is based on changing your thoughts and behaviors in order to break habits or to reduce moods such as anxiety and depression. 

Strategy #1: Make a list of the benefits of worry. 

 People who worry constantly often think there are benefits to it.

 Their idea that worry is beneficial will often sabotage their efforts to reduce their amount of worrying. Often, the idea of benefits is not conscious.

 By bringing your ideas of the benefits of worry into the light and analyzing them, you will be better able to overcome worry. 

 One possible way you may think you benefit from worry is the idea that it is the responsible thing to do. Maybe you reason that not worrying would mean you are not concerned.

 Maybe you think that worrying helps you to keep track of all the things related to the problem that must be solved. That if you stop worrying, you will lose track of some important detail.

Maybe you think that worrying will keep you on your toes and motivate you to achieve your goals. You may think that you will lose your edge if you no longer worry. 

 In what ways does worry work for you? 

Strategy #2: Do a cost benefit analysis. 

Compare the benefits of worry to the downsides of worry.
Try listing the physical symptoms you get when you are anxious, and how constant worry fans the flames of anxiety. Think about how it might be hurting your overall health.

 Think about how worry affects your sleep, and how that may leave you not able to take constructive action if things do go wrong. 

Try listing missed opportunities that you were afraid to try because of worry. 

Think about how worry may keep you from being really present.

 Does worry keep you from connecting with others?

 Does it keep you from experiencing enjoyable moments, because you are mentally preoccupied and “not really there?”

These are just ideas to get you started. Write down your own ideas about the costs of worry. Then decide if it would be worthwhile to break the worry habit, or to at least  take it down a notch. 

 Some people decide that, “By worrying constantly, I am missing out on what is actually happening, moment by moment. It would be more responsible of me to live in the present, and deal with reality moment by moment, as it unfolds.”

 Some people may decide that “I probably won’t lose track of things anyway, if I stop worrying and constantly checking all the details. I can just write things down and make a list, to refer to as needed.”

  Some people decide “If I stop worrying so much, I will be able to sleep better and that would make me more able to deal with whatever comes up”..

 Some people decide that by getting out of their worried heads and having more enjoyable moments, they will feel better and cope better when things do go wrong. 

What will you decide about the benefits vs the cost of worry? 

If you decide to commit to breaking the habit of excessive worry, the following 3 strategies could help you. 

Strategy #3: Write down all your worried thoughts.

For each worried thought that you write down, also write a counter statement that is more calming, or at least more neutral, and less dramatic. 

 For example, “If I mess up this project, my career will be ruined forever!” could be countered by “I don’t really know how it will turn out. Maybe it will be a learning experience. Whatever happens, I can move on from there. I can deal with that.” 

Another example is, “If I mess up, I will look like a fool. I will never be able to show my face around here again!” could be countered by, “A lot of people look foolish sometimes. It is the risk I take in this venture. I don’t really know what people will think of me. Some may judge me, others may not. Some may even have sympathy for me and see me as more human.” 

Strategy #4: Schedule planned worry sessions.

By giving your worries a scheduled outlet, they may be more able to leave you alone when it is not their time. 

You might decide on five minutes, three times a day. You might choose one minute per hour. You might choose one hour at the end of the work day. Do what works for you.

 At the appointed time, let yourself worry as much as you can. You can even exaggerate your worried thoughts. Don’t try to not worry. Don’t try to come up with calming counter statements. 

 This is your scheduled worry time. You can refer your worries to these scheduled times when they try to annoy you at other times.

Postponing worries until their planned time can help give you more control over the worry habit. 

 Strategy #5: Plan on “worry free” times. 

During these worry free times, you will make a conscious effort to practice breaking the worry habit. 
 For example, you may say, “For the next hour, I will focus on this project and not worry.” 

 You may say, “For the next twenty minutes I will enjoy this very beautiful sunset. No worries allowed here. I am focusing on the beautiful colors and the awe that I feel.”

 You may say, “For the next ten minutes, I will enjoy chatting with my coworker, without thinking about or talking about my worries.”

 Worries will try hard to interfere with these times. Do not judge yourself for this. Just tell them it is not their turn, and that they can wait until their scheduled time. 

 “Right now I am busy with this. You will have to wait your turn. If you can’t wait for your scheduled time, you must at least wait until I am finished with this.” 

 You will need to do this over and over again. That is just how it works, while breaking a habit. 


Take Your Next Step: 

If you are struggling with anxiety and excessive worry, and would like professional help, call me at (310) 658-3158 to discuss how we could work together. 

I offer in person Walk and Talk Therapy sessions in the Marina del Rey area. I offer therapy sessions by phone for all of California. 


Kate Boswell LMFT is a therapist in Marina del Rey, CA. She helps anxious young men and women become calmer and more confident. She helps adults of all ages who are struggling with stressful life changes. 


Nearby communities served are Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Venice, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Culver City, and Westchester. 

Kate Boswell is licensed by the state of California as a Marriage and Family Therapist, License No. LMFT 20851. Contact Kate at (310) 658-3158.

Disclaimer/Terms of Use: This website and blog was authored by Kate Boswell LMFT for informational and educational purposes. It is not intended to replace any medical diagnoses or treatment. Nothing on these pages, or pages they link to, shall be construed to as medical advice.